The Second United Nations World Summit for Social Development took place in Doha, Qatar, in November. It marked the 30th anniversary of the 1995 Copenhagen Summit.

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The summit brought together nearly 14,000 participants, including over 40 heads of state and government and more than 230 ministers and senior officials.

After more than 250 “solutions sessions” and plenary discussions, the three-day summit concluded with the adoption of the Doha Political Declaration. This document reaffirms commitments from the Copenhagen Summit and emphasizes the pillars of social development: poverty eradication, full and productive employment and decent work for all, and social inclusion to ensure that no one is left behind.

The declaration urges UN member nations to turn unfulfilled pledges into concrete actions that address the root causes of labour precarity, poverty, inequity and social exclusion. It also calls for accelerated efforts to achieve the 2030 sustainable development goals, which remain significantly off track with only five years left.

In this context, Canada’s social situation has become more concerning. For instance, the Food Banks HungerCount 2025 report shows that nearly 2.2 million people accessed food banks in March 2025, a record high. About 712,000 children under 18, or one in three, used food banks.

In the Atlantic provinces, nearly 97,000 people sought food bank assistance.

About 20 per cent of food bank users are........

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